Canton family hosts Japanese student

Friday

Mar 28, 2014 at 4:43 PMMar 29, 2014 at 8:36 PM

Last summer, Moira and Bob Sweetland of Canton hosted 15-year-old Miyu Ikuta as part of Explore Japan. Their children, Daniel, 11, and Grace, 9, also participated in the program. ."It was a pleasure to meet and share part of the summer with Miyu," Moira said. "We found the Explore Japan program to be well organized and it was a wonderful opportunity for our family to experience another culture. My children met new friends at camp, both American and Japanese, and learned a lot about the Japanese culture. Plus, they really enjoyed the field trips."The Explore Japan Summer Exchange and Enrichment Program, open to Japanese and American students, is free for host families. The Milton-based program, now in its 21st year, enables boys and girls from Japan to visit families for two-and-a-half weeks.Explore Japan, which runs from July 27 to Aug. 13, is seeking host families. It is held at Milton High School (for girls) and Pierce Middle School in Milton (for boys), operating weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Host parents do not need to be available during Explore Japan's operating hours.Exchange students range in age from 8-16. It is not necessary for host families to have children the same age as the exchange student. One child from each family can participate in the daytime program without charge.Students are placed in small groups, broken down by age, learning from Japanese experts (from Japan and the local area). Activities include Japanese language workshops, arts and crafts, cooking, martial arts, calligraphy and a variety of cultural exercises.There is no charge to host families and their children, or for activities during the two weeks.For information on hosting, visit www.americanlearning.com or call 781-828-2800.